THE Colne Rhythm and Blues Festival was once again hailed a success.

People spilled out in to the main streets through Colne and pubs and off licences cashed in on the big event.

But it was the hard work by people behind the scenes which ensured Pendle retained its national rhythm and blues crown as Nicola Mott found out...

GROUPS of volunteers took to the streets with their bin bags and gloves during the Bank Holiday weekend to collect litter, empty bottles and plastic glasses - left by 60,000 revellers.

Pendle council's recycling and cleansing teams were helped this year by a team of a dozen volunteers from Waterside Recycling Action Programme (WRAP).

Brian Holmes, organiser of the youth Up4It stage and a member of WRAP, said: "There have been a mixture of people working together including a lot of young people who have put on the fluorescent jackets and gloves to help collect litter.

"During the evening when there are a lot of people it is difficult to tidy up. So during the day some people have been picking up bottles, some cans and others plastic so they are all kept separate for recycling.

"At the end of the night when the music finished the police and stewards encouraged people to move off so that the team of volunteers could go out collecting litter.

"It worked fantastic and within about 45 minutes on Sunday night we had the area pretty clean.

"I have been really pleased that the recycling worked well because all the people involved in it were local and have been people with a passion for making the festival a success.

"They have not only done an excellent job of cleaning up the rubbish but have also been able to recycle it."

Council recycling officer Denise Bell said: "The volunteers have been marvellous. They arrived on Monday morning to rummage through bags of rubbish to separate them for recycling. They have been real trojans."

Police stepped up patrols in the town centre in a bid to cut crime and launched various schemes to prevent disorder, including the use of plastic glasses to prevent violence and dangerous litter, a vulnerable vehicle scheme to protect vehicles parked in Colne during the weekend and a beat the burglar campaign.

Sgt David Burns said: "The festival went very well. There were between 15 and 20 people arrested mainly for drunkenness. The majority of those were local offenders and not people from out of town"

As well as the line up of talented musicians on the various stages, there was also a music video exhibition which featured work by more than 40 graduates from various countries.

Landlord Richard Capon of the Derby Arms in Newmarket Street, where the films were shown, said: "It has been extremely good and the video exhibition has been a very interesting dimension. It has been well received and we have had some incredible acts and bands this year."

Off licences in the town were also kept busy. Sonya Watson, senior sales assistant at Booze Busters in Market Street, said: "From about 7pm each day it just went mad

" I think we've probably made the same in a day that we usually make in a week."